Should I get rid of humidifier?

[seadragon]

Hi all,

I've been in my house now for almost 4 years. I have a Carrier Infinity system complete with flowthru bypass humidifier. The system was installed when the house was built 4 years ago. I've NEVER used the humidifier to date. The pad in the humidifier is the original one it came with.

Anyway, since I don't use it, would it be wise to have it removed? I have the usual short duct between the supply and return plenums that I open and close each season. The Infinity Control is currently set to increase low heat airflow to compensate for the bypass duct that is open during the heating season. If I got rid of the humidifier and bypass duct, I could then set the control back to "normal". Is there any advantage to doing this?

Or, should I keep it "just in case". I would imagine the flowthru pad is still okay since it has never been used.

Any thought on this would be appreciated.

Happy New Year!

[penderway]

A properly sealed home and duct system, with a furnace that uses outside air for combustion, and a normal amount of cooking, showers etc, rarely ever needs humidification. This must be your home, congratulations!
It's not worth the price of a service call, but on your next tune up, I'd have the technician disable it and seal it off in away that can easily be undone if ever needed.

[seatonheating]

A properly sealed home and duct system, with a furnace that uses outside air for combustion, and a normal amount of cooking, showers etc, rarely ever needs humidification. This must be your home, congratulations!
It's not worth the price of a service call, but on your next tune up, I'd have the technician disable it and seal it off in away that can easily be undone if ever needed.

That's bad advice!!! A properly working humidifier can be a vital part of your home comfort system. I recommend having a tech come out(you're doing this every year aren't you?), look over your system, and set it up so the humidifier does what it is supposed to, help keep you comfortable, especially this time of year.

[glennac]

I would recomend that you simply close the damper on the bypass leave the control on normal and let everything else alone. If you ever want to use it its' there. Donsen't cost a thing. You already paid for it why spend money taking it out.

[penderway]

It's pretty evident to me that this guy doesn't have a need for humidification. So it's not "Vital". Any air that is bypassed for no good reason isn't helping the systems efficiency or capacity. I know the benefit of sealing it off is not much, and I'm not advocating removing it. Disabling and sealing it off is what I'd do if it was my system.
Also I wouldn't up-sell a humidifier in the first place if it wasn't needed. I'd only install one if necessary or by customer request.

[seatonheating]

It's pretty evident to me that this guy doesn't have a need for humidification. So it's not "Vital". Any air that is bypassed for no good reason isn't helping the systems efficiency or capacity. I know the benefit of sealing it off is not much, and I'm not advocating removing it. Disabling and sealing it off is what I'd do if it was my system.
Also I wouldn't up-sell a humidifier in the first place if it wasn't needed. I'd only install one if necessary or by customer request.


How does he even know he doesn't need it? How much more has he been running his furnace because his body was feeling cooler at 70 deg than needed if humidity levels were adequate. Like I said before, he needs a pro out to determine if added humidity is needed based on furnace run times and customer's comfort based on setpoints of thermostat. It may take a few trips.......

[penderway]

Seaton, you're right, It may take several trips to convince him that he's uncomfortable. LOL

[penderway]

Give me a break, I'm not saying that he should remove it!

[BaldLoonie]

When I bought my house, the previous owner said the 440 (with humidistat on garage wall) worked so good he could have water running down the windows. After buying the place, I looked at the hum. Never had a drop of water in it. Saddle valve was bad. I sold it to a buddy who did need it.

If a house is built well, I agree, they aren't needed. Too many are sold because the customer asks and the salesman sees dollars. Keep it if you want but the house would have to become rather leaky to dry out enough to use. Then you ought to seal it back up and cut back energy costs rather than just turn on the hum :eek:

[seatonheating]

When I bought my house, the previous owner said the 440 (with humidistat on garage wall) worked so good he could have water running down the windows. After buying the place, I looked at the hum. Never had a drop of water in it. Saddle valve was bad. I sold it to a buddy who did need it.

If a house is built well, I agree, they aren't needed. Too many are sold because the customer asks and the salesman sees dollars. Keep it if you want but the house would have to become rather leaky to dry out enough to use. Then you ought to seal it back up and cut back energy costs rather than just turn on the hum :eek:

We don't all live in humid climates Baldie. Some of us actually have pretty major fluctuations in humidity. Many, many customers need humidity in my neck of the woods.

[zzyzzx]

We would probably need to know where you live. I would have to think that anyone who lives anywhere east of the Mississippi river in the US doesn't need a humidifier.

[Carnak]

It's pretty evident to me that this guy doesn't have a need for humidification. So it's not "Vital". Any air that is bypassed for no good reason isn't helping the systems efficiency or capacity. I know the benefit of sealing it off is not much, and I'm not advocating removing it. Disabling and sealing it off is what I'd do if it was my system.
Also I wouldn't up-sell a humidifier in the first place if it wasn't needed. I'd only install one if necessary or by customer request.

A house that needs a humidifier is a drafty home, high infiltration. I agree that in new residential construction humidifiers should be going the way of the dinosaur.

New homes in a cold climate the problem is too much humidity in the winter.

[jrbenny]

We don't all live in humid climates Baldie. Some of us actually have pretty major fluctuations in humidity. Many, many customers need humidity in my neck of the woods.
I wouldn't call Indianapolis 'humid'. I live 150 miles south of him, and we use humidifiers.

It really depends on the construction of the home.

[glennac]

We would probably need to know where you live. I would have to think that anyone who lives anywhere east of the Mississippi river in the US doesn't need a humidifier.

You have to be kidding. If your house has a crawspace with plastic over the dirt and you live north of Florida, you will need it in the winter during the cold periods. I had a house in NC and I put plastic down to prevent the wood in the craw space from moisture rotting and the house got down to around 20 to 25% humidity on cold days. You couldn't walk across the rug floors and touch a door knob without putting gloves on to keep from getting shocked. I install a humidifier and kept it up to 40% and all was well. I now have a house with a basement and free air return through the basement. I don't need one with this set up.

[seadragon]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies. I live near Toronto, Canada. My house is 4 years old and is tightly sealed. I have an ERV that runs all the time and the humidity is currently sitting at 38 percent in the house. It never goes above 50 percent.

I highly doubt that I will ever use the humidifier.

[mayguy]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies. I live near Toronto, Canada. My house is 4 years old and is tightly sealed. I have an ERV that runs all the time and the humidity is currently sitting at 38 percent in the house. It never goes above 50 percent.

I highly doubt that I will ever use the humidifier.

What's the lowest you've seen in your home? Your "new" home will dry out some time down the road, it just take a few years for new homes to dry out.

Do you have wood floors?

[seadragon]

The lowest I've ever seen it go was 30%. That was last winter when there was a cold snap and outdoor temps went down to about -28C (-18F).

I guess it's not harming anything just to leave it in place. But if there was any performance advantage for the furnace, it would be worth considering having it removed.

Oh, I don't have any wood floors. Maybe someday though.

[mayguy]

The lowest I've ever seen it go was 30%. That was last winter when there was a cold snap and outdoor temps went down to about -28C (-18F).

I guess it's not harming anything just to leave it in place. But if there was any performance advantage for the furnace, it would be worth considering having it removed.

Oh, I don't have any wood floors. Maybe someday though.

I'd just leave there. just have the water valve turned off, and when you need it, it's already there.. Otherwise, have to cap off the duct, and if down the road you need one, they will have to recut if the size changed.

You won't see much performance changes either way.

[teddy bear]

Interesting! Until you experience the air tight home miracle, it is difficult to accept. If you do the math, natural ventilation at .3-.4 air changes per hour (ach) is enough remove the moisture from a typical family while avoiding sweating windows and excessively dry homes. The .3 ach natural ventilation rate also replaces oxygen and purges pollutants. By reducing the holes in the structure/ducts, the air pressure created by the stack effect and 7 mph wind (total .02"WG) moves enough air to balance humidity. A lone occupant or a family of 8 in a home changes everything. Equally, the change in temperature and wind velocity changes everything.
So, I think everyone is over simplifying this problem. Ideally, homes should be tight enough to avoid over-venting during cold windy weather but be able to maintain an adequate air change rate during mild, quiet conditions. Homes leaking 1 ach need humidifiers and extra heating capacity for the 300-400 cfm of outside infiltrating air. Air tight homes need mechanical fresh air ventilation for the three mild seasons when the natural ventilation pressure is much less.
So, tighten the home enough to achieve 30%RH during cold weather. Provide mechanical ventilation to maintain >.3-.4 ach when occupied during the rest of the year. Most important, maintain less than 50%RH during the rest of the year to avoid interior bioligical growth.

[Carnak]

You have to be kidding. If your house has a crawspace with plastic over the dirt and you live north of Florida, you will need it in the winter during the cold periods. I had a house in NC and I put plastic down to prevent the wood in the craw space from moisture rotting and the house got down to around 20 to 25% humidity on cold days. You couldn't walk across the rug floors and touch a door knob without putting gloves on to keep from getting shocked. I install a humidifier and kept it up to 40% and all was well. I now have a house with a basement and free air return through the basement. I don't need one with this set up.

Drafty house glen, no ifs ands or buts. Hard to have a sealed vapour barrier in your climate, air rises up through the ceilings like a natural chimney. Stack effect, air will leak out around every j-box for a ceiling fan, surface mounted light fixture or recessed pot light.